Report on festivals meeting highlight

March 28, 2013

It was almost over before it started when the Dunkirk Local Development Corporation's board of directors held their monthly meeting Wednesday morning.

"I am going to try to keep the meeting short because we have a lot we're working on in our office," development director and board chairman Steve Neratko explained as the meeting opened.

The consent agenda was the first item on the agenda. It contains items members receive ahead of time to allow for quick approval.

"If you have any questions about that we can hold off on that until next meeting," Neratko stated. "... We'll just take a look at them next meeting because it is a consent agenda and we're supposed to pass the whole thing."

Neratko then asked if there were questions regarding a resolution naming James Muscato to the board's assistant treasurer position.

"I had mentioned that if no one had taken this ... if Jim wants to do it that's fine," Joe Becerra replied. "If you guys had decided you'd be better off with James, that's fine."

"I only took it because no else did," Muscato replied. "If there's somebody interested that's fine."

After Becerra said he was interested, Neratko stated they would take it up at the next meeting and Mayor Anthony J. Dolce, DLDC president and CEO, said "let's move on."

DLDC secretary Nicole Waite suggested amending the resolution, substituting Becerra's name for Muscato's. Muscato moved and Becerra seconded the change, which was approved. A motion to name Becerra the assistant treasurer then passed.

"I want to say thanks to both of you for stepping up, I appreciate it," Dolce stated.

Dolce updated the board on the festivals and the committee running them, saying they were looking to meet every two or three weeks.

He began with the Great Lakes Experience Festival slated for June 15.

"We've agreed to help with flyers, posters, that sort of thing. Financially, the group asked if we'd waive any permit fees," Dolce stated. "What I said in place of that is, any food vendors or non-food vendors that they want to have they can collect the fee and that would be our donation in that regard. We kept it real simple there. I know they've received some money through other groups so it looks like the festival will go on."

The inaugural Picnic in the Point event was up next. Dolce said he was going to meet with Waite and Senior Citizen and Youth Coordinator Larissa Aldrich about the event.

"Larissa has a great many years of experience putting on kid-friendly festivals in the city and she's more than excited to help out with this. She gave us some good ideas," Dolce began. "We're going to utilize the whole Point. ... We're looking to incorporate all sorts of aspects of the Point and promote a nice, family-friendly event."

The mayor said a sponsorship agreement was adopted by the Festivals Committee.

"Anyone who will donate over $500 or more will sign it," Dolce explained. "We've had some instances where places have made a verbal commitment and then have reneged on that commitment so we're just putting a little something in place, because if we make the investment in their name on a piece of promotional material then they should honor that part of it."

Dolce also said vendor prices for the events were "quite consistent."

"We did lower the price a little for the Heritage Festival. This is the first year so it's more of an enticement," he added. "If the festival grows as we expect it to that fee would raise slightly."

The board adopted its annual mission statement, approving an identical version of 2012's. Members were also informed they have to fill out forms evaluating the board's performance.

Neratko then called for an executive session to discuss the Enviroteknix loan.

"I'd like to have a motion to go into executive session regarding proposed, pending or current litigation and/or the financial credit history of a particular person or corporation, and there will be no further business taken after executive session," he stated.

The motion was made and approved.

Dolce said later the executive session lasted about 20 minutes.

"The focus of the executive session was the potential litigation between Enviroteknix and the DLDC," he added. "There is nothing more to report at this time. The communication between the two entities is ongoing."